AAI seeks subsidy for loss making NE operations

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is seeking financial assistance from the government for its loss-making operations in the North Eastern region.

“We are losing Rs100 crore annually on our operations in the North Eastern region. We want some subsidy from the government for these losses for which we are talking to the government," AAI chairman VP Agrawal told PTI.

The North East region has 12 operational airports, all run by AAI. The Authority is also seeking levy on airport development fee on 11 airports in the country, including that of Kolkata and Chennai.

Some of these airports are Trivandrum, Calicut, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Mangalore, he said.

AAI is undertaking modernization and upgradation work for airside of 58 non-metro airports in the country.

“Work on 80% of these projects has already commenced. We would complete 50% of these projects by March 2010," he said.